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Superpippo, an alternative idol

Last Tuesday, the great Gerd Muller - arguably the finest-ever
penalty box predator - saw his long-standing record of 62 goals in
European competition matched by a man to whom he was once a role
model. Yet while Filippo Inzaghi's match-winning brace as a
second half substitute for AC Milan in Donetsk saw him emulate one
of the game's striking legends, the 34-year-old's name is
unlikely to ever be uttered in the same reverential tones that are
widely reserved for
Der Bomber.

Inzaghi, who holds a diploma in accountancy, could justifiably
protest that his numbers stack up. Two UEFA Champions League
medals, three Scudettos, one FIFA World Cup™, 57 caps and over 250
career goals - 25 of them for Italy - is certainly not the career
haul one would expect of a limited and lightweight striker.

Yet despite the overwhelming statistical evidence to the
contrary, this is just what
Superpippo's many critics - both at home and abroad -
claim the the Milan front-runner is. Johan Cruyff, perhaps the most
high-profile of these detractors, once cuttingly remarked:
"Actually, he can't play football at all. He's just
always in the right position."
Even more well known is Sir Alex Ferguson's famous
quip that Inzaghi "was born offside", with both comments
tapping into a surprisingly widely-held belief that the Italian has
built his glittering career on a combination of luck and borderline
dishonesty. Certainly, when Inzaghi deflected in Andrea Pirlo's
free-kick with his shoulder in the 2007 Champions League final,
there were plenty of neutrals looking on who shook their heads and
muttered "typical Inzaghi... "

No matter that he has scored goals wherever he has played, from
Piacenza and Atalanta to Juventus, Milan and the national team, nor
that he went on to claim a beautifully-taken second in Athens. Even
the fact that Inzaghi had scored a near-identical goal at Empoli
earlier in the same season could not deter his critics from citing
that deflected goal as yet another example of fortune favouring a
player whose talent does not justify the success he enjoys.

Inzaghi, these cynics argue, is neither strong, skilful nor
particularly deft of touch. His sharpness in and around the penalty
area also belies a surprising lack of pace; in Milan's
pre-season sprint tests, he was slower over 40 metres than the
likes of 39-year-old Paolo Maldini, Cafu, 37, and Serginho, who is
36. His style of play, meanwhile, can be clumsy and ungainly,
contrasting starkly with club colleague Kaka, while his
predilection for pouting when pulled back for even the most blatant
offside decision wins him no new friends.

'A consummate professional'Yet while Kaka is feted and Inzaghi maligned, perhaps it is
Superpippo who is more deserving of praise. After all,
while Milan's Brazilian playmaker and the likes of Zinedine
Zidane and Ronaldinho have been blessed with extraordinary natural
talent, Inzaghi has dedicated his life to reaching the top without
the advantage of such God-given ability.

If you are not born a Ronaldo or a
Kaka, you can still become a great player through commitment,
serenity, perseverance, loving what you do.

Filippo Inzaghi

The man himself has summed up the key to his success thus:
"
You can learn
from every match. I prepare everything in the tiniest detail. My
diet, how I train. This has been my secret."

In truth, Inzaghi is more acutely aware of his technical and
physical deficiencies than anyone, and is equally conscious of the
criticism he receives. What his detractors perhaps do not
appreciate is that he watches and then re-watches tapes of the
matches in which he is involved, and still endures sleepless nights
before almost every fixture.

"He's a consummate professional," was
Ancelotti's assessment of a player so sensitive to his own
shortcomings that, even at 34 and despite all that he has achieved,
still sees himself with plenty to prove. After equalling
Muller's record, he was moved to say: "You always have to
keep proving yourself, even at my age. I like to break records and
prove people wrong who say I'm too old."

It is partly due to this burning desire to confound his critics
that has ensured that, having seen his Milan career all but written
off after the arrivals of Alberto Gilardino and Ronaldo, Inzaghi is
still proving a star turn for the
Rossoneri. Now, after reaching the 62-goal mark in his
97th European appearance, he has in his sights former strike
partner's Andriy Shevchenko's record tally of 34
continental strikes for the Milan giants.

Inzaghi, now just a goal short of the Ukrainian, said: "It
would be nice to beat Sheva's tally, as he was a great
team-mate and friend of mine. Fortunately, I play in a team that
has allowed me to score many goals... And altruism isn't one of
my top characteristics!"

Typical of Inzaghi, this jocular, self-deprecating reference to
his own infamous selfishness in front of goal sums up the striker
who has matched, and may yet surpass, Muller. True, he has his
failings - and is well aware of each and every one of them - but
Inzaghi's goals continue to mean that his supporters and
colleagues love him just the way he is.